EXCLUSIVE: Inside America’s Zombieland: Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood looks like a scene from the WALKING DEAD as grim photos show ‘tranq’ addicts shooting up in broad daylight on sidewalks

  • Exclusive pictures of Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia – long known as ‘ground zero’ for the city’s drug epidemic – reveal a shocking scene of drug devastation  

  • Many addicts are injecting themselves in broad daylight and lying passed out in the streets

  • More than 90 per cent of the heroin now found in Philadelphia contains xylazine, or ‘tranq’, which was developed in 1962 as an anesthetic for veterinary procedures, and its use has soared since the pandemic

  • It causes a blackout stupor along with deep, festering wounds that frequently lead to amputations 

  • Typical treatments for overdoses are not effective and the FDA issued an alert about the drug in November

By HARRIET ALEXANDER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

PUBLISHED: | UPDATED: 

Addicts are shooting up in broad daylight, hunched over in a stupor or passed out on the streets. Many have raw, gaping wounds in desperate need of medical attention. And there are needles, syringes and garbage littered across the sidewalks.

‘I’ve never seen human beings remain in these kinds of conditions,’ said Sarah Laurel, who runs outreach organization Savage Sisters.

The scale of devastation in the inner city area is shocking! – described by The Philadelphia Inquirer as ‘the poorest neighborhood in America’s poorest big city’ – which is being ravaged by the newly popular and dangerous drug.

The city’s drug use and violence has run rampant under woke District Attorney Larry Krasner whose failure to prosecute minor crimes and bail request policies have come with an uptick in crime in the city of brotherly love.

Republicans in the Pennsylvania state Senate voted for his impeachment over what they deem a dereliction of duty. The future of the progressive prosecutor remains unclear, as the party line vote was indefinitely postponed earlier this month.

Kensington, which up until the 1950s was a bustling industrial district, is now described by The Philadelphia Inquirer as ‘the poorest neighborhood in America’s poorest big city’

Kensington, which up until the 1950s was a bustling industrial district, is now described by The Philadelphia Inquirer as ‘the poorest neighborhood in America’s poorest big city’

Xylazine leaves users in a blackout stupor, making them vulnerable to violent attacks and rape.

Ms Laurel said: ‘They have open, gaping wounds, they can’t walk, and they tell me, “If I go to the hospital, I’m going to get sick.” They’re so terrified of the detox.’

Unlike with opioids, there are no FDA-approved treatments specifically for xylazine withdrawal.

Philip Moore, chief medical officer for the nonprofit treatment provider Gaudenzia, told the paper that weaning people off xylazine is a complicated procedure.

‘We’ll start treating for opioid withdrawal, and they should be getting better — but we’ll see chills, sweating, restlessness, anxiety, agitation,’ he said.

‘They’re very, very unpleasant symptoms. That’s what triggers us that we’re dealing with a more complicated withdrawal, that there’s more xylazine in the mix.’

Kensington’s streets are littered with syringes, garbage and homeless encampments, with addicts dealing and using drugs in broad daylight.

Now more than 90 percent of the heroin now found in Philadelphia contains xylazine. A June study found the drug has spread to 36 states and D.C.

The drug, also known as ‘tranq’, causes a blackout stupor. It also leads to skin damage so severe it resembles chemical burns, plus deep festering wounds that frequently result in amputations.

Furthermore, xylazine – which is often combined with fentanyl – means that usual treatments for opioid overdoses are not effective.

In November, the FDA issued a nationwide alert about the drug for doctors, and the following month the Office of National Drug Control Policy said it was concerned about the drug’s spread.

Mayor Jim Kenney’s office, which has supported an overdose prevention site in Philadelphia, said they need to do everything possible to save lives.

‘As this crisis takes more lives and continues to evolve, we believe it is critical to use every available method to save lives and that an overdose prevention center would add a powerful tool to our existing harm reduction strategies,’ said Sarah Peterson, a spokesman for Kenney.

‘Overdose prevention centers save lives, prevent injuries and illness, reduce drug use and drug-related litter in public spaces, and increase connections to health services and treatment.’

‘This is the picture of addiction… This is what happens’: Mother of xylazine overdose victim describes her son’s addiction

Nora Sheehan lost her son Andrew Jugler, 29, in October, 2021, after he took a deadly concoction of xylazine and fentanyl following an eight-year battle with addiction.

She said her son’s addiction began after he started taking the oxycontin painkiller in 2010, but then gradually progressed to heroin and fentanyl.

In the wake of her loss, Sheehan, 56, shared a photo of her last moments with her son on social media to try and raise awareness about the devastating impact of the opioid crisis.

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